Yesterday, a person who stopped by the residence looked at the word “Imagine” written on the front of a tee shirt being worn. He asked, laughingly, “So why would a guy wear a shirt with that word on it if he recommends that people be in touch with reality and give up all imaginings?”
It was pointed out that the word refers to a favorite song with lyrics by the Realized poet John Lennon and it was then suggested that he go find the lyrics and consider their pointers:
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try…
No hell below us
Above us only sky.
Imagine all the people
Living for today.
Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do…
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace.
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one.
Imagine no possessions.
I wonder if you can.
No need for greed or hunger…
A brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world.
You may say that I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.
Have you ever considered how succinctly the poet offered the Advaita Teaching through those few lines?
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try…
No hell below us
Above us only sky.
The song begins with an invitation to question one of the most widely-circulated dualities, that of “heaven vs. hell.” If you can abandon belief in that duality, then you’ll automatically abandon belief in “good vs. bad,” “right vs. wrong,” and “us vs. them.” And if you automatically abandon belief in those dualities, then—automatically—judging will disappear, moralizing and criticizing will end, and all conflict would have to end since belief in opposing forces (and the fear that always generates) would end. Then, peace would automatically have to happen. Admittedly, too few persons will ever reach the level of re-purified consciousness necessary for “peace on earth” to happen; however, the odds of enjoying peace can increase for You if You abandon belief in dualities. If you have been programmed and conditioned to believe in a geographic heaven, in a geographic hell, and in a body-mind-personality that will last eternally and will experience either an everlasting reward or an everlasting punishment, can you imagine the level of freedom that would mark the remainder of your relative existence if all those concepts were abandoned? Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
It was pointed out that the word refers to a favorite song with lyrics by the Realized poet John Lennon and it was then suggested that he go find the lyrics and consider their pointers:
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try…
No hell below us
Above us only sky.
Imagine all the people
Living for today.
Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do…
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace.
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one.
Imagine no possessions.
I wonder if you can.
No need for greed or hunger…
A brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world.
You may say that I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.
Have you ever considered how succinctly the poet offered the Advaita Teaching through those few lines?
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try…
No hell below us
Above us only sky.
The song begins with an invitation to question one of the most widely-circulated dualities, that of “heaven vs. hell.” If you can abandon belief in that duality, then you’ll automatically abandon belief in “good vs. bad,” “right vs. wrong,” and “us vs. them.” And if you automatically abandon belief in those dualities, then—automatically—judging will disappear, moralizing and criticizing will end, and all conflict would have to end since belief in opposing forces (and the fear that always generates) would end. Then, peace would automatically have to happen. Admittedly, too few persons will ever reach the level of re-purified consciousness necessary for “peace on earth” to happen; however, the odds of enjoying peace can increase for You if You abandon belief in dualities. If you have been programmed and conditioned to believe in a geographic heaven, in a geographic hell, and in a body-mind-personality that will last eternally and will experience either an everlasting reward or an everlasting punishment, can you imagine the level of freedom that would mark the remainder of your relative existence if all those concepts were abandoned? Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
